Do others follow this practice?

Cola89 · Oct 22, 2015

What?! So you practice discrimination based on some stat you read? I "waste" with whichever coworker asks me to. I haven't had any problems, and that's the point of witnessing the waste of a drug.

subee, MSN, CRNA · Oct 22, 2015

Having done this career for 28 years, I have certain foundational practices that I don't stray from. The one that I get the most flak from is my refusal to count or witness for another male nurse if there is another option available. My rationale comes from studies that I have read that state males make up less than 10% of the nurse workforce but account for up to 50% of the narcotic thefts. Sadly, that has been my observation, also. What are your thoughts?

Yeah, I'd like to see where you got that number. I worked with addicted RN's for several years and the large majority of them were women.

amoLucia · Oct 22, 2015

I've always thought about witnessing a waste - how do you REALLY, REALLLLLLLY know that the white tab in a cup that I show you REALLY is a 'percoset' that I tell you I 'dropped" on the floor in a pt room? How do you REALLY know it is a perc and NOT a white ASA that was pulled as a 'switcheroo'.

I'm serious. Regardless of which way the count goes (ie who is coming on and who is going off), how can one tell a drop is on the up & up.

I, for one, hate witnessing a waste that can be easily questioned.

allnurses Guide · Oct 22, 2015

Having done this career for 28 years, I have certain foundational practices that I don't stray from. The one that I get the most flak from is my refusal to count or witness for another male nurse if there is another option available. My rationale comes from studies that I have read that state males make up less than 10% of the nurse workforce but account for up to 50% of the narcotic thefts. Sadly, that has been my observation, also. What are your thoughts?

I don't know- my own admittedly anecdotal experience of being a nurse in recovery is that addiction and impaired nursing practice is pretty equal opportunity. I would not exclude myself from counting with males - though there are a few females I work with that I don't like to count with I always do it the books and if there is any question no one goes home until the discrepancy is accounted for.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

New one to me. I have NEVER thought about the gender of the nurse I sign on to waste with. If the dang Pyxis will read their fingerprint as human, good enough for me.

Are males more likely to divert drugs or just more likely to get caught because they're usually trying to palm off their work onto female co-workers? "I'll take care of these drugs for you, if you put in that foley for me."

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

Wowwww.

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

The way we count takes every staff member, 6 staff for 3 pyxis. I work on a floor that has 2 males working during the shift together. The other males I work with agree that this is probably, in the words of management, best practice. I have seen two males steal during count a handful of times at the one institute I work. As I said in my OP, when possible, not unbendable.

How often do u count the Pyxis? All the facilities where I have worked that have the Pyxis, we didn't count every shift - pharmacy came an did an audit on their schedule but u haven't seen nurses on a shift counting since the facility implemented the Pyxis -

I could be mistaken -

Anne, RNC

JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN · Oct 22, 2015

Guys, in all seriousness. Male nurses make up 10% of the workforce but in a random, university sponsored, double blind 10,000 subject, voluntary study, 100% of males tested positive for the SAME substance in their systems.

This particular compound can cause increased sex drive, aggression and even accelerates the development of GROWTHS on male's body, both on the neck and in the genital region.

This compound is testosterone. And it needs to be stopped.

The only solution is to fire every male nurse and send them immediately into a recovery program. We KNOW they are walking around with this substance in their bodies. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE. The testosterone epidemic among male nurses is real and treatment is needed!

In all seriousness, OP... I am glad I don't work on your floor. Only doing wastes with certain nurses sounds like a huge time-suck. It's 2015. Generalizations based on gender are so 20th century.

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Oct 22, 2015

I admit that the statistic was read over a decade ago, maybe even two. Given numbers, 10% of 90 is 9, 50% of 10 is 5. We count weekly, normally the same 6 individuals, I take issue with that, too. Truly, I have decided to reevaluate by the response, why I asked. My coworkers have never complained about this practice, many agreeing with me, as no one gets a pass from a responsibility. For the record, the comment about foleys- I have inserted more male foleys for women and NG tubes in my 28 years than anything done for me.

NurseDiane · Oct 22, 2015

How did those 2 males steal during a count, if there was another nurse in the room with them? Isn't the whole purpose of counting with 2 people to make sure the count is accurate?

NurseDiane · Oct 22, 2015

Excellent point.

JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN · Oct 22, 2015

I'm confused... what does inserting the Foleys "for women" have to do with anything? You started this topic talking about how you don't witness wastes for men and now you are listing all the favors you have done for women? Pick a struggle. Also, what do NG tubes have to do with the discussion at all? Pretty sure that the nares are not gender specific.
Totally off topic but placing male Foleys was and still is one of my favorite tasks of all times and I wouldn't delegate it for the world.